“StarOffice 5.2 can be downloaded for free from Sun’s Web
site, or the CD can be purchased for $9.95 via the site. Sun
also will also distribute a retail product, including CD and user’s
manual, through Macmillan and Microwarehouse for $39.95.”
“A total of 69,000 users downloaded the preview version of
StarOffice 5.2, reporting bugs and suggesting more than 200 feature
enhancements, according to Tony Hampel, Sun’s director of
Marketing, Webtop and Application Software in Menlo Park,
Calif….”
“According to Sun officials, StarOffice 5.2 improvements include
greater reliability and performance; increased interoperability
with Microsoft Office 2000; a reduced file size for presentations
to make them more transportable; full online help, wizards and
documentation; an easier-to-use interface; the addition of a
separate StarOffice Player to give presentations without having
StarOffice fully loaded on a laptop; and simultaneous spell
checking for multiple languages.”